Fan Xiaodao returned to the Yamen. Luo Cheng had been waiting for a long time, "Gu Dachun and the others are at the Lao Tao Noodle House opposite the Yamen."

Fan Xiaodao was a little surprised. He didn't expect them to be so efficient, so he and Luo Cheng came to Lao Tao Noodle House. Gu Dachun was originally from Liumen. He used to eat here often and was an acquaintance with the owner of the noodle shop.

Gu Dachun and his three brothers had been waiting in the backyard for a long time. When they saw Fan Xiaodao, they immediately saluted, "I have met Mr. Fan."

Fan Xiaodao asked, "Where are the rest of you?"

Gu Dachun said, "After Tan Shifei was crowned, we disbanded the Tianma Gang. These three people were once brothers in the sect. Like me, they were persecuted by Gu Dachun and fell into bandits. Now they have the opportunity to return to the Six Sects and serve Master Fan.

, it’s our honor. If you can be of use to us, just ask.”

Fan Xiaodao nodded and took out a piece of fake money from his arms, "What is this?"

Gu Dachun looked puzzled, "One penny?"

Fan Xiaodao said: "It's a penny of fake money. Don't underestimate such an inconspicuous thing. A small amount adds up to a big thing. Now it is flooding in Jiangnan and has seriously affected people's livelihood. To put it lightly, it is disturbing people's livelihood. To put it seriously, it is disturbing people's livelihood."

, is a disaster for the country

Damn the people. When you returned to the six gates, Mr. Zhao had agreed in principle, but gave one condition, which was to secretly work for the gate. The first thing was this case. Do you still remember when you entered?

oath?"

"I have never and dare not forget!"

"Raise your hands, I will take you to get started again today!"

Everyone raised their hands.

"We, the public servants, should abide by our duties, serve the court with all our loyalty, and serve the country and the people. We should not use force to violate the prohibitions, and we should not use force to bully the weak. We should do our best to frighten the young people and make the powerful people fearful.

To redress the grievances, win the snow, to hold up the sword for the weak, and to bring peace to the world!"

Fan Xiaodao said, "You are detectives and locals from Jinling, so you have an advantage over us in investigating this kind of case. However, this case is of great importance, and everything must be carried out secretly. We cannot alert others."

Fan Xiaodao explained the matter of counterfeit currency carefully and said: "If there is any news, please report it as soon as possible. You are not allowed to act without my permission!"

Everyone took the order together.

After taking the oath again, Gu Dachun and the others became the secret sentries of the six gates. Although there was no official establishment and no salary, it was enough to make Gu Dachun and others excited.

Gu Dachun originally had a strong sense of justice, but he had no choice but to become a bandit. He had no choice before, but now that he had the chance, he chose to be a good person again.

…

Half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

The rainy season has passed, and in early summer, the weather has become sultry. Compared with the north, early summer in the south of the Yangtze River seems to be more humid, which makes Fan Xiaodao, a northerner, feel a little uncomfortable.

The six gates are also on track. Everything in Jinling City is in order, and no major crimes have occurred. Apart from daily security patrols and some thieves, there is nothing surprising.

Fan Xiaodao usually works as an errand in the Yamen, and in his spare time, he goes to the Peach Blossom Wine Shop to help. The whole Zhuque Street knows that this wine shop has a government background, but no one comes to look for trouble. There are also some powerful forces on Zhuque Street, and every month at the end of the month, they will come one by one.

The merchants charged protection fees. After Fan Xiaodao came, those people were very conscious and no one came again. After all, it was the vice president of Jinling Liumen who arrested the head, so they still had to give him this little face.

Duan Jiangliu from the Dajiang Gang, on the other hand, comes to Peach Blossom Wine Shop every now and then. He comes as soon as the door opens, orders a pot of wine, pours it himself, and occasionally chats with Fan Huowu. After all, it is open for business and it is not easy to chase people away.

When the store closed at noon, he left on his own. However, with Mr. Duan in charge, those deceitful disciples did not dare to speak out.

There are also more entertainment venues at Six Doors.

Being in an official position, this kind of socializing is inevitable, especially for Zhao Xing. If he wants to integrate into the official circles, he must rely on food and drink to connect with each other. Otherwise, if he only relies on official duties and mixes in official circles, how can he have so many official duties?

At first, I couldn't help but go there several times.

In this kind of situation, it's the same every time. The senior officials brag, the middle officials flatter, and the junior officials don't even have the right to speak. Let's not talk about the ability, the airs must be sufficient, even if you are a relative of the emperor,

Down to the princes and nobles, they are all acquaintances, and there is no one they don’t know. The content of the conversation is nothing more than royal gossip and official anecdotes. If there are a few women to add to the fun, the drunkenness will be revealed, and the ugly appearance will be revealed.

After a long time, Zhao Xing felt bored. If someone invited him again, he would simply decline because of his official duties. Later, he would not even find an excuse. As for Fan Xiaodao, he was not interested in such things. He would rather listen to their nonsense.

I had a simple meal with Fan Huowu. As a result, it was spread in the Jinling circle that the two new chief arresters from Liumen were unkind and they gradually drifted away from the circle.

However, the invitation the two of them received today meant they had to go.

Because the person treating us was Xie Zhihua, the Jiangnan transit envoy.

First of all, Fan and Zhao have been in Jinling for two months. Although they have never met Xie Zhihua in person, they have secretly fought many times. Xie Zhihua did not take any advantage, but this time he took the initiative to send the invitation. I don't know why.

Secondly, Xie Zhihua was the backend of Tan Shifei and Chen Bao. One of them died and the other disappeared. Xie Zhihua quickly supported Chen Bao of the Dajiang Gang. His power in Jiangnan was almost unaffected. The two of them were wary of him and thought

Take this opportunity to get a feel for the fortune teller.

As for the third reason, I heard that the chef at Bishui House is one of the best in the south of the Yangtze River. Although the two of them are not gourmets, it would be a bit unkind to refuse such free meals.

The time is set on the first day of May.

After two days, I changed into regular clothes and came to Bishui Building.

As soon as I entered, I was immediately shocked by the sight in front of me. Bishui Tower stands next to the Qinhuai River. The courtyard door is quite regular, with five rows of doornails vertically and horizontally, but there is something special inside the mansion.

From the outside, Bishui Tower is just a terrace on the bank of the Qinhuai River. But when you look closer, you realize that Bishui Tower is huge. It is hidden among green pines and ancient cypresses. The courtyard is decorated with rockeries, thousands of strange rocks, and various exotic flowers and plants.

Among them, the courtyards, corridors and pavilions are winding and winding, leading directly to the building.

Gate. A small stream passes through the courtyard and is connected to the Qinhuai River. At the end of the stream, there is a small lake. There are duckweeds and summer lotus in the lake. There is a awning boat docked by the lake.

There are incense tables, tea sets, guzheng and famous harps inside, and two maids in blue shirts are waiting on them.

Fan Xiaodao clicked his tongue and said: "This transporter really knows how to enjoy."

Zhao Xing said coldly: "It's just a waste of people's wealth and wealth. There's nothing to envy."

Inside the Bishui Building, the lights are bright.

There were rosin candlesticks hanging on the wall, and dozens of night-time pearls as big as chicken eggs were inlaid in the wall. They shone brightly and illuminated the lobby brightly. The two of them climbed to the third floor under the guidance of the servants.

The place was already full of guests, many of whom were acquaintances, including Xie Yu, the prefect of Jinling. In addition to Governor Xu Ting, almost all officials with some rank in the Jiangnan officialdom were here. No wonder there were so many carriages parked at the door.

When Xie Zhihua saw the two of them, he laughed, came up to greet them, and said, "You two brothers, it will really bring glory to our humble house to have you here!"

Zhao Xingdao said, "If your Bishui Tower is a humble house, I'm afraid the people in Jinling will live in doghouses!"

Xie Zhihua was slightly startled when he heard this, and then laughed out loud, "I didn't expect Capt. Zhao to be so funny, please!" He turned back and smiled at everyone, "I'm willing to admit defeat, my lords, please do it!"

Several officials took out a hundred-tael silver note from their pockets and handed it to Xie Zhihua.

Xie Zhihua smiled and accepted.

Fan Xiaodao was stunned, "What's the matter?"

Pan Jiantai, the inspector, laughed and said, "It is said that in the officialdom of Jinling City, the two detectives are unreasonable. We thought that Mr. Xie would treat us today, so why would you two come empty-handed? Ha, Mr. Xie really guessed it.

"

It turned out that the officials present made a bet on whether Fan and Zhao would give gifts. Xie Zhihua made the bet that they did not bring any gifts.

Sure enough, the person who knows you best is your enemy.

Xie Zhihua smiled and said, "You two brothers are the ones with the best temperament! Please take a seat!"

The two quickly declined.

There were seven or eight people present, and the one with the highest rank was Pan Jiantai, the third-rank official. Although Xie Zhihua was a fourth-rank official, with the same rank as the prefect Xie Yu, he was a Beijing official, with a status higher than half a rank, and he was also the God of Wealth in Jiangnan. Fan,

The two Zhaos were just the general managers of the Yamen under the Jinling Prefecture, which was equivalent to the sixth rank and had the lowest position. However, Xie Zhihua pushed for the chief position. How could they agree?

Xie Zhihua said with a smile, "Don't refuse, two brothers. Everyone here at today's family dinner is all friends. Regardless of their positions, the two brothers have come from afar. They have been admiring each other for a long time and have always known each other. It's not easy to get together today, no matter what.

To achieve this, Master Pan, Master Xie and I are all familiar with each other, so I specially invited you to accompany me."

It was as if he was an acquaintance whom he had known for a long time.

There is no good feast.

Why is Xie Zhihua making such a big fanfare?

The two were confused.

Fan Xiaodao glanced at Xie Yu, who first shook his head with a wry smile, and then nodded slightly. Seeing this, the two of them thought that if the stalemate continued, they might not be able to finish the meal by midnight, so they sat down separately.

The dishes are extremely rich.

Xie Zhihua is very particular about what he eats, and he likes pufferfish. Although pufferfish is poisonous, its meat is delicious and it is known as the best dish. In almost every banquet, he will order a pufferfish for each guest. The pufferfish cooked by a famous chef from Jiangnan is even more famous.

Unique flavor.

After three rounds of wine, five flavors of food.

Everyone's conversation was limited to small talk, talking about the local customs, cultural relics and landscapes of Jinling, or asking how the two of them lived in Jinling, which gave people a feeling of spring breeze.

Although Fan and Zhao also drank together, they were always wary.

Pan Jiantai, who was in charge of a provincial criminal department, was their subordinate supervisor, and Magistrate Xie was their direct leader. They and Xie Zhihua were enemies rather than friends, so they had no idea what the meaning of this meal was.

However, since Xie Zhihua was so calm, the two of them did not take the initiative to ask questions. If they had questions, they would answer them. If there were no questions, they would focus on the delicious food. However, in half an hour, they had already eaten seven or seven hundred and eighty-eight.

The dishes were flowing like water. After a few bites, the maid took them away, and not long after, new dishes were served.

Almost every time a dish was served, Xie Zhihua would personally explain how to make it and how to eat it. The others were already used to it, but it was new to Fan and Zhao's ears.

There are delicious food inside the building, and the music of the guzheng is played downstairs.

Soon it was the second watch.

The zither stops and the piano stops.

Everyone put down their chopsticks.

Fan Xiaodaoxin said that it was finally time to get down to business. There was a plate of sea cucumbers roasted with green onions in front of him, which was good. When he saw that there was one left, he picked it up and swallowed it in his mouth.
Chapter completed!